


Thirty-Two

by dinglesugdendinglesugden



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Engagement, Fluffy, M/M, Robert's birthday, Tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 07:17:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14397021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinglesugdendinglesugden/pseuds/dinglesugdendinglesugden
Summary: It's Robert's 32nd birthday, and Aaron has a present for him.





	Thirty-Two

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't not write a fic for my boys birthday  
> Tumblr: @prettyboysugden

** Thirty-Two **

The sun woke Aaron up first, the heat of it streaming into the room, a triangle of brightness hitting his face, making him turn around to the man in his bed. Robert had somehow managed to sleep through the sun coming up and making the entire place a sauna, and Aaron couldn’t be more grateful for it.

It was his birthday. Thirty-two today, and he looked so peaceful sleeping, like he hadn’t had a traumatic life. Aaron took a moment to just relax, shutting his eyes quickly, before opening them again, not wanting to miss out on looking at Robert when he was like this. The sun made everything better, and Aaron could clearly see the freckles on Robert’s face, more of them coming out in the past couple of days. They made him look childish, and Aaron secretly hoped that Sebastian would inherit them. Next to his eyes were little crows feet, Robert hated them and Aaron knew that, but for Aaron, they reminded him of how happy they are together. Always laughing- at each other, and with each other. His lips were a pale shade of pink, slightly open, leaving warm breaths on Aaron’s skin throughout the night, constantly reminding him that they were back together, and everyone was just perfect.

 (Even if he did hate the fact that Robert still kicked him in his sleep).

Careful to not wake the birthday boy up, Aaron climbed out of bed, shoving some gym shorts on before walking down the spiral staircase and into the kitchen. It had become a thing for them, ever since the first birthday of Robert’s that they celebrated together, that every April, Aaron would surprise Robert with breakfast in bed. It was never something that they established, but it happened and Robert wouldn’t complain if that was the only present he got for the rest of his life.

He looked over to the kitchen table and saw the present and card he’d left there after Robert had gone to bed. He’d got Vic to wrap the present up, not even daring to tackle the cellotape and fiddly paper.

 

* * *

 

 

“Rob,” Aaron whispered, putting the breakfast down on the bedside drawer, the teas spilling just a little bit. “Wake up.”

Robert murmured slightly, his eyes squeezing tight shut, silently preparing himself for the flood of light that would be there when he opened them. Aaron’s face was pressed close to Robert’s, their noses faintly touching, and when Robert opened his blue eyes, all clouded over with sleep, Aaron took it upon himself to give Robert his first kiss as a thirty-two year old man.

“Happy birthday.” Aaron said, voice low in his throat, allowing Robert to lean up to him and catch a second, more slow kiss.

When they eventually pulled away, Aaron had climbed over Robert and sat back down in the bed, kicking the covers to the bottom. “Thank you.” Robert said sincerely, moving to sit up properly and grab his breakfast, handing Aaron’s plate and tea over to him.

“Yeah, well it’s your birthday. I’m spoiling you.” Aaron smirked. “That’s two by the way.”

Robert cocked his eyebrow, looking at Aaron, silently questioning him. Aaron chuckled ever so slightly at his appearance, wild blond hair and a hint of stubble on his top lip. “Kisses.”

“We aren’t doing that again!” Robert groaned, remembering how Aaron spent their first birthday together kissing Robert and counting them up.

“You’re really complaining about getting thirty two kisses? Really?” Aaron asked, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

Robert sipped at his brew, blowing on it to cool it down. “No.” He said adamantly. “I’m complaining about only getting thirty two kisses. I want more.”

“Just wait till you’re eighty.”

Robert smiled at that. Aaron insinuating that they get to spend the rest of their lives together, loving each other. It settled him, knowing that both of them wanted, yearned for the same thing. A long life together.

 

* * *

 

 

“Birthdays remind me of my mum, you know?” Robert admitted, picking at the little bit of skin next to his nail. Aaron had just been downstairs to put their plates and cups back in the kitchen, and to bring up Robert’s presents. “My real mum. Pat.”

Aaron sat down, crossing his legs underneath him and taking Roberts hand in his own. “You never really speak about her.” He said, trying to be careful about this conversation, knowing that Robert struggles to talk about his parents.

He just shrugged, eyes not fully reaching Aaron. “I don’t have anything to say. I didn’t know her, she died when I was a baby, and that means I have to spend the rest of my life never knowing what my mum smelt like, or how she sounded. People told me little facts about her, but its just not the same. And then Sarah, she was ripped away from me when I needed her the most.”

Aaron wrapped his arms around Robert, running his fingers through his hair to calm him down.

“And you know what hurts the most?” He sniffed. “None of them got to meet you. Not one of my parents got to meet the man I love more than anyone in this world. The man I’ll spend the rest of my life with.”

“They’d be so proud of you. You’re amazing Robert, and I love you so much.” Aaron soothed, pressing his lips to Robert’s hair, closing his eyes to prevent him from crying. “We’ll go and buy some flowers, yeah? Go and visit everybody.”

Robert just nodded under Aaron’s hold.

 

* * *

 

 

“Card first, you know the rules.” Aaron joked, grabbing the gift out of Robert’s hold and shoving the card in its place.

He opened it slowly, pulling the card out of the envelope, laughing when he sees that Aaron has had it personalised, with a photo of Robert asleep on the hotel bed in Wales, the first family holiday they had together. He’d fallen asleep the minute they’d walked through the door after a long day of activities, and he couldn’t be woken up if a meteorite hit. So Liv took it upon herself to draw all over his face in marker, giving him Harry Potter glasses, thick eyebrows and a penis on his cheek.

“I still can’t believe you let her do that.” He laughed. “It wouldn’t come off!”

Aaron just shrugged, leaning his chin on Robert’s shoulder. “It was a good look.”

When he opened the card up, both pages were filled with Aaron’s neater handwriting, and Robert could tell it would’ve taken him a while to write it all out.

**It’s your birthday, and I suppose it’s a big thing so I wrote this card to give you 32(ish) reasons why I love you.**

  1. **You have a pretty good face**
  2. **I like how your freckles make you look younger than you are. Old man**
  3. **Your eyes are the bluest things I’ve ever seen, I don’t think I’ll ever forget them**
  4. **The way you cuddle me when you’re tired**
  5. **The fact you snore, but never accept it**
  6. **Your love for me, and everyone in our little family**
  7. **For giving me a bigger family**
  8. **For saving me**
  9. **For giving us a mental wedding**
  10. **Your thighs**
  11. **The way you wear my clothes and then they suddenly appear in your side of the wardrobe**
  12. **Your weird nerd collection that I’m not allowed to throw away**
  13. **The way you comment on everything in a film, but if I so much as breathe during one, you threaten to divorce me**
  14. **The mornings I catch you dancing along to the radio**
  15. **The fact you accepted Liv into our family, even when we weren’t certain we’d work together**
  16. **The fact you trust me enough to tell me all your secrets**
  17. **Our little trips out that you take me on**
  18. **How you tell me about life in Emmerdale before I moved here**
  19. **The way you get out of any physical work I ask you to do**
  20. **How you help me with my meetings and contracts**
  21. **How you help Liv with her school work**
  22. **The way you always make sure there’s tea on the table for us when I’m late home**
  23. **For giving me a home**
  24. **The way you put up with my family**
  25. **The way you accept me**
  26. **You’re pretty good at sex**
  27. **How you probably need glasses, but refuse to get your eyes checked because you think that makes you old**
  28. **How you got me through one of the toughest times in my life**
  29. **Your humour, and how you always seem to make me laugh, even at the worst of times**
  30. **For giving me a son**
  31. **Because you made me Mr Sugden**
  32. **Will you marry me?**



Robert looked up at Aaron, tears in his eyes. “Really?”

Aaron kissed his cheek, whispering “Open your present.”

And so he did. Robert ripped the paper off, hands shaky but he didn’t care. Inside, was a thin band, gold, with engravings of ‘A&R’ all around it.

“I have my own.” Aaron spoke, watching as Robert picked it up and looked at it closer. “I thought it could be our wedding ring and we could wear it with these.” He explained, holding his left hand up and running his thumb over his engagement ring.

“Yes.” Robert said, biting his lip. “I’ll marry you, properly this time.”

“Well I’m glad.” He kissed Robert softly. “Could’ve got awkward otherwise.”

“Shut up.” Robert breathed out, voice barely above a whisper now, lips pressed to Aaron’s.

“Happily.”


End file.
